A unitized regenerative fuel cell (URFC) that combines a fuel cell with a water electrolyzer is attractive as a portable power source. To enhance the efficiency of the URFC, a bifunctional oxygen catalyst for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) needs to be developed. In this study, Ti₄O₇ supported Pt-based catalysts were prepared for a bifunctional oxygen catalyst (BOC) in URFC. Ti₄O₇ support was prepared using a low-temperature process with TiO₂ and cobalt chloride hexahydrate at 950 °C under an H₂ atmosphere. The metal catalysts (60 wt%) were deposited on a Ti₄O₇ support using a borohydride reduction method. The catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Compared to Pt/C and Pt/Ti₄O₇, PtIr/Ti₄O₇ exhibited enhanced activity and stability in ORR and OER. The improved electrocatalytic performance of PtIr alloy supported by Ti₄O₇ might be attributed to the PtIr alloy phase, the highly stable Ti₄O₇ support in an acid medium, and the interaction between catalyst and support.

将燃料电池与水电解槽结合在一起的单元式可再生燃料电池（URFC）作为便携式电源具有吸引力。为了提高URFC的效率，需要开发用于氧还原反应（ORR）和氧释放反应（OER）的双功能氧催化剂。在这项研究中，制备了Ti ₄ O ₇负载的Pt基催化剂，用于URFC中的双功能氧催化剂（BOC）。使用TiO ₂和六水合氯化钴在950℃和H ₂气氛下使用低温工艺制备Ti ₄ O ₇载体。将金属催化剂（60 wt％）沉积在Ti ₄ O _7上支持使用硼氢化物还原法。使用X射线衍射（XRD），扫描电子显微镜（SEM），透射电子显微镜（TEM）和X射线光电子能谱（XPS）对催化剂进行了表征。与Pt / C和Pt / Ti ₄ O _7相比，PtIr / Ti ₄ O ₇在ORR和OER中表现出增强的活性和稳定性。Ti ₄ O ₇负载的PtIr合金电催化性能的提高可能归因于PtIr合金相，酸性介质中高稳定性的Ti ₄ O ₇载体以及催化剂与载体之间的相互作用。